Bookkeeping machine



3 E. SCHNEIDER 1,970,981

BOOKKEEPING IACHINE Filed Nov. 9, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug. 21, 1934. E. SCHNEIDER BOOKKEEPING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed NOV. 9, 1931 Aug. 21, 1934. scHNElDER 1,970,981

BOOKKEEPING MACHINE Filed Nov. 9. 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 .Aug. 21, 1934.

E. SCHNEIDER 1,970,981

BOOKKEEPING MACHINE Filed Nov. 9, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Aug. 21, 1934 PATENT OFFICE 1,970,981 BOOKKEEPING MACHINE Emil Schneider, Mailand, Italy Application November 9, 1931, Serial No.. 573,993

. In Germany June 9,1931

1 Claim. (01. [101-2881 The invention relates to a power-driven bookkeeping machine, for example adapted to be coupled at will by means of a foot-operated clutch or otherwise with an electric motor having a device for gripping the document to be written and advancing it line byline, the saiddocument being held quite flat. In book-keeping certain words, word groups, numbers or number groups, are very often repeated. The object of the present invention is to simplify the writing of these often-v repeated like words, and thereby to save time and avoid mistakes. This object is'attained in 'accordance with the present invention by the pro-. vision'of a line or group printing mechanism I whereby a whole series of predetermined numbers or words can at once be printed, the numbers and words always being ready for printing. No time is therefore lost in setting up the wordsor numbers which are repeated, and no errors-can fl. thereby occur. The gripping. or stretching apparatus for the document to be written can be so constituted that a plurality of copies can be obtained through carbon leaves.

The machines .hitherto known do not operate satisfactorily and cannot be usedfor the purpose in view. The usual typewriters have the following drawbacks:

1.=The.adjusting of the paper on the roller'is tedious and inconvenient, 1'

2. Each word andeachnumber at each repetition. must be reproduced by numerous key .actuations,l R m 3. Entry of the words or groups of numbers in the correct columns, exactly in" the correct positions, occupies aconsiderable amount of time.

. The known fiat writing machines, operating for example on the Elliot-Fischer system, are better suited for book-keeping. The known machines have however the drawback that with them also, each word and each group of numbersmust be individually built up by means of numerous key actuations. Working with these machines is therefore slow, manipulation is inconvenient and the machines are expensive. Electrical adding machines, which are already'known, also possess most of the drawbacks mentioned; With these machines entry in the columns is, indeed, facilitated, but only a limited number of columns can at any time be written at once. z

It is furthermore often necessary to print a plurality of forms with the same text, individual forms, however, having certainparts of the'text or numbers omitted: A further object of the present invention is to render possible this exolu sion 'o'i. text" parts or groups ofnumbers without readjustment of the, type carriers. This object is attained in accordance with the present inven-' tion by providing in an adjustable impression plate towards which the type wheel carrier (advances, recesses which canbe adjustably positioned as desired in the printing position .of. the type wheel carrier, whereby certain groups of figures or letters are not printed on the forms. This new arrangement has the advantage that the work of adjusting the type carriers is simplified. In this way the output of the book-keeper is definitely increased. The accompanyingdrawings show diagrammatically a constructional example of the machine- .In-the drawings:

s Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the machine partly insection...m. Fig. 2. is a.plan,u y 1 3 is a detail vertical sectional view of the stamping head mechanism. 1

Fig. 4 is a similar view of the same on another plane.

' Fig. 5 is a detail vertical sectional view through the. table disclosing the adjustable printing bed plate and associated mechanism.

i Fig. 6 is a detailplanof the same.

. Fig. 7 is a detail vertical transverse sectional view cithe same on a plane disclosing one pair of the; ,feed rollers and operating mechanism therefor. 7 A

Fig. 8 is a similar view disclosing the means forraising and lowering the roller 22.

3 Fig.9 is a detailvertical transverse sectional view of ;the tahle, the adjustable printingbed, plate orv element and the, means for adjusting the latter.

. Fig. 10 is a diagrammatic elevation of the roller controlling and; operating means and looking from the right hand side of Fig. 6.

Fig. 11 is' a detail diagrammatic elevation, partly in section, of the means for operating the inking band or ribbon.

Fig. 12 is a detail elevation at right angles to Fig. 11' of one of the inking band rollers and associated elements.

Fig. 13 is a diagram of thetable, the feedrollers, the adjustable printing bed, the rollers for feeding the account sheet to be printed and also for feeding the carbon. paper therewith together with the stamping head.

The machine illustrated is provided with a table 1 and two guides 2, 3 in which is guided invertical tracks a type wheel carrier or stamping head 4. For raising and lowering the stamping head 4 there serves a motor-driven crank shaft 5 and connecting rods 6. To connect the motor with the crank shaft 5 any suitable means such as a clutch may be provided, which is operated by a foot lever 86. Said lever 86 is fixed to a shaft 87 rotatably mounted in the frame of the machine. To shaft 87 an arm 87a is fixed which is connected by a link 88 to one armof a bell crank. lever 89.. The sec-- and arm of said lever. 89 operates a clutch con-.- necting the motor shaft with gears driving crank shaft 5. by a device 90 driven from crank shaft 5 by a rod 91. In the stamping head 4 the figure typewhe'els" 8 are mounted in individually adjustable manner on a common shaft 7 while the word wheels move en bloc. The type wheels 8 are provided, in accordance with requirements, on their entire p'e'-' riphery or a part thereof, with letters-andnumbers, so that expressions such as billsofexchange or drafts, cash'payment'etc., commonly occurring in book-keeping. canbe set up. The number of type wheels accords, in. any given case, .withtthe type of book-keeping form tozbe used,.so:that-it is possible to imprint. the text and number groups atpredetermined positions on each form. Some of. the type wheels..8- (say ten). are geared to toothed sector discs :throughin: termediate toothed. gears 811,1. 8b.. The discs .80 are mounted on a. common. shaft 8d within acasing'and carry: on their. circumference the same types as. the wheels 8.. The sectors 80; are pro-; vided with handles 8e for rotating the gears. 81): and 8a to set the desired type on the. wheels-82in printing. position. The wheels 8 carrying mem+ bers mesh with gears 9 provided on their. periphery with numbers. The wordto. be printed appears through the window 10 on the appropriate sector disc 80 and the numbersin the openings 11 of the casing. Thewheelsl8c and therewith the wheels 8 may be turned manually by .means. of a k'nobon one end of the shaft 8d .so thatany one of the stock words may be broughtinthe position to-be printed. -In'-an-opening inthe table a plate. 13 (Fig. 9) is displaceably arrangedin guides 14. This plate is provided with recesses 16, 17. By adjusting the -plate 13 one or other of the'recesses 16, 1 7- can be brought beneath the printing position of the stampinghead 4, whereby only certainof the wholetext and number groups are printed. For adjusting the plate 13 (Fig. 9)--into the position'required'at the time a rod 18 is used, the said'rod being con-- nected to a lever '19; which latter is, pivotally mounted in the table 1." By' adjusting the lever 19 the operator can adjust'the plate'13 into any required position. p

Some of the type wheelsprovided'with numbers are adapted to be connected with a counting mechanism arranged on the stamping frame, .by means of ,a connectibl'e and disconnectiblegearing, known per se, with tens transferringdevice, whereby the said counting mechanism, upon actuation, can add, or if desired subtract, a desired column of figures. I f h For feeding and advancing the documents two pairsof rollers 21, 22, 23, 24'. are used; these are arranged at opposite sides of the impression plate 13. For driving the roller 22 there is used agear 25, with which engages a toothed segment 26 rotatably mounted .onthe machineframe. The gear25 is loosely mounted on a shaft 80 and is firmly connected with a disc 81 carrying a pawl 82; The pawl'82 engages aratchet wheel. 83 fixed on shaft 80. A gear wheel 84.1'srigid on shaftBQ and The number of rotations are counted meshes with wheel 85 on roller 21 which is geared with roller 22. The wheel 25 which is rocked by the toothed segment 26 drives the shaft 80 and therewith the rollers 21, 22. The segment 26 is pro-vided with an arm and a pin 27 on said am; the latter engages in a slot 28 of a control link 29, which is pivoted on a pin of a slide 32. The control :link 29 is moved to and fro by one of the rods 6-.moving the'stamping head 4m: and down,

said rod having a pin secured thereto as shown in Fig. 2 which pin operates in a slot 29a with which the; member 29 is also provided. As a result the toothed segment 26 and with this the lower feed roller 21 arerotated. The latter transmits its rotation by means of the toothed wheels 33 to the lower roller '23. The two rollers 21, 23, which are of the same'diameter, rotate with the same speed and serve in conjunction with the rollers 22 and 24 to feed forward the sheet of paper to be printed, to an extent corresponding to one line width: for. eachoperationof the stamping head 4. In order to adjust the magnitude of the advancemovement of the sheet of paper, the angle by whichthe segment26 is rocked. is alteredby varying the effective-length of the link 29.. The pin 30 about which the link '29. rotates is shifted with reference to: pin 2'7. The bearing 31 for pin. 30 is attached to a slide running in guides 34 on the underside of the table 1. The slide 32may be adjusted by a two-armed lever 35- one arm of which projects through a slot in. the table plate'l: Toallow of insertion of the forms into the. device at lea-stone of. therollers 21, 22 mustnbe moved. For this purpose the bearing of the roller 22 is arranged in a lever 36,.which is pivoted abouta pin- 3'7. The roller 22 could; however, be support? ed. at both ends, in whichcase it would have the. same length as the roller .21. If the impact is effected onlyonthe extreme left side, the. sup-- port is at that end if the impact is effected to the right a. support at both ends must be'used. The .lever. 36 is submitted topthe' action of a spring 38 and can be. raised against-the action of. this spring by means of a two-armed lever-39, whereby:it raises the roller 22.. The; lever 39. isprovided with a knob .40 and projects through a slot in the table plate 1. By means of. pressure on the member. 40the roller 22 is raised. *A. form for printing can then be inserted'beneath the stamping head;4'. The journal-sheet, for example, of the'fo'rms to. be printed 'ispassed in between the rollers 23, 24, 21, 22 while the account sheet to be printed: at the same time isLonlypassed through the rollers 21, 22. In: orderithat the roller-'24 may be'raised from the roller 23, the former is mounted 'in-a lever 41; the latter being rotatably mounted in-thetable plate,- under the actionof a spring 42, so as tobe displaceable against the action of this spring by'means of a' push'rod 43' and a handle 44. The pushrod 43 carries a roller which acts'upon an inclined sur-' face 45 of the lever 41. By displacing thehandle 44 the rol1er24 is raised. The paper can then be insertedbetween the rollers. In order to prevent the account sheets from'being gripped by the rollerj24 a guide 46 is provided on the lever v Asa journal sheet a sheet, or rather a band, 50 can be provided, Fig. 13, which is drawn :together with a carbon paperband 51 from rollers 52andiis rolled up :on-rollers 53. I

The. stamping head 4- co-operates with an ink ing band-which -.can-be. introduced in any- 'de.-. sired mannenfor example .as shown in Figs..,1-1; and 12. On' the stamping head 4 the two inking band rollers 55, 56 are arranged, on which the inking band 57 is rolled and unrolled. For effecting the advance movement wheels 58, 58' are used, which are respectively engaged by pawls 59, 59' each under the action of a spring. The advance movement is controlled by means of an advancing mechanism. The latter comprises a lever 60 pivotally mounted on the machine frame. A pin 66 of the lever 60 projects into a slot 61 in a rod 62. Into a slot 63 of this rod, there projects a pin on a bell-crank lever 64, the latter being connected to a rod 65 which co-operates with the pawl 59 as follows:

When the stamping head 4 moves downwardly, the rollers 55, 56 partake of the movement, as also do the members 65, 64, 62. Before the stamping head 4 reaches its lowermost position the rod 62 is stopped by the pin 66 of the lever 60. The rod 62 and therewith the levers 64, 65 becomes displaced relatively to the inking band rollers 55, 56. The pawls 59, 59 alternately drive their respective wheels 58 and 58' to wind and unwind the inking band from one wheel to the other in any of the suitable manners known in the art in con nection with printing through an' inking band. The extent of movement can be altered by means of an adjusting screw 70.

For adjusting the type wheels, hand-operated keys can be provided.

On the table there could also be provided an adjustable stop for the account sheets, in order to bring them into the correct position relative to the stamping head 4.

The words to be imprinted may be attached or engraved as a complete type block to the periphery of a drum, instead of being assembled by individual type wheels.

What I wish to claim and secure by U. S. Letters Patent is:-

Apparatus of the class described, comprising a table, a vertically movable stamping head, a printing bed on the table, a pair of rollers for feeding a sheet to be printed across and over the printing bed, one of said rollers being arranged on the upper side of the other and means to raise one end of the upper roller and comprising a vertically movable lever mounted in the table and having a bearing for said end of said roller, a spring active on said lever to normally hold the same and said end of said roller in lowered position and means to raise said lever and hence said end of said roller against the tension of said spring.

EMIL SCHNEIDER. 

